Undergraduate Research Apprentice

The Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) provides an opportunity for Berkeley undergraduates to work one-on-one with faculty members on the cutting-edge research projects for which Berkeley is world-renowned. Students meet regularly with faculty for research mentoring and earn 1 unit of academic credit for each 3 hours of research work (limited to 4 units per term). The program is designed to stimulate awareness of advanced research and interest in graduate study. Students are not paid for their participation.

Between two and four Undergraduate Research Apprentices are needed each semester to work on the Tebtunis Papyri Database and Archives. The CTP is an Organized Research Project of the Berkeley campus and is working to improve access to and to encourage study of the large collection of Greek and Demotic Egyptian papyri owned by The Bancroft Library, many of which have never been examined properly. The papyri are fragmentary remains of documents and literary texts written in Egypt during the time of the Ptolemaic kings and the Roman Empire. Since the current work follows a long period of neglect, assistance is needed with many tasks of basic organization and recording of materials, including preparation of skeletal database records, organization of the archives, and indexing and copying of bibliography. Hands-on work with the papyri themselves will also be involved.

Qualifications: The assistant will need basic computer skills for entry of information, but none of the needed tasks will require extensive training. Knowledge of ancient languages and scripts is not required, but would be a helpful additional qualification.
Weekly Hours: 3-6 hrs

For further information, deadlines and to apply, please visit http://research.berkeley.edu/urap/info.html

Graduate Student Researcher

Each semester the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri (CTP) typcially invites applications from qualified graduate students for the position of graduate student researcher (GSR). GSRs have a wide range of duties, roughly mirroring those of the Center's research papyrologist. Responsibilities include: cataloguing of fragments; preparation of fragments for conservation and digital imaging; and assistance with the Center's publications (electronic and print). Facility in Greek and/or demotic Egyptian is required. Papyrological training and a demonstrated interest in Greco-Roman Egypt is preferred.

Compensation: hourly GSR rate $19.29 and above; if 25% or more appointment, partial or full fee remission and GSHIP.

TO APPLY: Send a letter of application and a current vita, as well as the name of your advisor (or a faculty member who knows your work well), to Todd Hickey, The Center for the Tebtunis Papyri, The Bancroft Library, MC 6000. Applications via e-mail attachment (.pdf, Word, etc.) are acceptable. Deadline:  TBA.

Support for Graduate Student Travel

The Center for the Tebtunis Papyri (CTP) has modest funding available to provide grants to graduate students for travel related to the study of papyrology. This includes travel to conferences at which a graduate student will deliver a paper or have the opportunity to make significant contact with scholars in the field, travel to excavations where papyri are being discovered, and travel to collections of papyri. Conference support will normally consist of partial or full payment of roundtrip airfare. Travel to excavations or collections may also include support for accommodation and food.

Eligibility for such grants is restricted to graduate students of the University of California at Berkeley in all departments, groups, or programs. No student should expect to receive CTP funding more than twice during her or his graduate career.

Applications for travel grants should include a statement of the purpose of the travel, a budget, and a report of what other funding mechanisms are being sought for the travel. Applicants must also indicate their qualifications for papyrological research and secure the sponsorship of a member of the UCB faculty.

Grantees who receive more than $300 will be required to submit a report on their activities at the conclusion of the grant period.

Applications may be submitted at any time during the year and should preferably be submitted at least six weeks before departure, to allow for consultation and (if successful) a more reasonable airfare.

Applications will be evaluated by the Advisory Committee of the CTP. Applications should be submitted to: Dr. Todd Hickey, Center for the Tebtunis Papyri, University of California, Bancroft Library, Berkeley CA 94720-6000.